An Asian condiment and ingredient that comes in a variety of of varieties ranging from light to…

500ml beef stock (we used Knorr Touch of Taste)

steamed bok choi and steamed basmati rice, to serve

Method

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, shallow casserole. Fry the garlic, ginger, onions and chilli for 3 mins until soft and fragrant. Tip onto a plate. Toss the beef in the flour, add 1 tbsp more oil to the pan, then brown the meat in batches, adding the final tbsp oil if you need to. It should take about 5 mins to brown each batch properly.

Add the five-spice and star anise (if using) to the pan, tip in the gingery mix, then fry for 1 min until the spices are fragrant. Add the sugar, then the beef and stir until combined. Keep the heat high, then splash in the wine or sherry, scraping up any meaty bits. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.

Pour in the soy and stock (it won’t cover the meat completely), bring to a simmer, then tightly cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 1½-2 hrs, stirring the meat halfway through. The meat should be very soft, and any sinewy bits should have melted away. Season with more soy. This can now be chilled and frozen for up to 1 month.

Nestle the cooked bok choi into the pan, then bring to the table with the basmati rice straight away and tuck in.

Tip

Braising beef

When stewing, look for meat marbled with
good streaks of fat and sinew throughout –
these will break down during slow cooking
and give you the most tender meat. If you
can get it, ox cheek is fantastic value and
rich in flavour – perfect for this dish.

Comments (201)

Oh my! Just made this for tonight's supper and it is GORGEOUS! Used feather cut braising steak which I cut into slices rather than chunks. Went heavy on the ginger but pretty much stuck to the recipe otherwise. Lovely flavour and tender meat. Plan to serve with John Torode's bok choi recipe (on this site) and some plain basmati rice. I will be cooking this again - definitely a keeper.

This was absolutely delicious, I followed the recipe to the letter and would say do not change a thing! All the quantities work together to create a beautiful deeply flavoured dish. The only thing that could perhaps be changed is to use light soy sauce to make it less rich... But if it ain't broke don't fix it!

Served for Sunday dinner with a noodle and vegetable stir fry. The sauce soaked into the stir-fry, so no need to add a separate sauce to the veg.

To say the preparation for this takes only 10 mins is a joke. It took me nearly that long to get everything out! 5 mins to brown each (of at least 2) batches of beef, plus another 3 mins for the onions is 13 mins for a start, and that's without any peeling or chopping (or getting out). Altogether it took me 35 to 40 mins. from scratch to in the oven.

That said, it was very tasty and different from the usual beef casserole. A great Friday night meal to leave in the oven while you go to the pub. Would do it again, but not too often.

Superb recipe a great alternative! I used 3 chillies for a little extra kick and light soy instead of dark. I made it in the morning up until the put it the oven stage and then just put it in the oven in the evening the meat then kind or marinates all day as well!

Very nice. Put mine in the slow cooker, went to work, went to the pub and it was all ready for our supper later on. I was worried about the scant liquid but read other reviews telling me it would be fine and it was. Stirred in some "straight to wok noodles" and the result was gorgeous. We love ginger so may put some diced root ginger in next time instead of grating it. Lovely

This was excellent, we followed the recipe but used chuck steak and really enjoyed it with friends who asked for the recipe. Will make again but leave more time to do preparations, thinly slicing 6 peeled cloves of garlic takes up most if not all the 10mins suggested preparation time, I wish I had the Good Food team to do all the peeling and slicing for me!

This was a huge hit with my 9 year old daughter, who is not a casserole fan, and my husband, who both devoured it. It tasted like a Chinese casserole and was so easy to do. I served mine with rice and sesame tossed cabbage. We had this for a Sunday lunch with a difference but equally you could eat this on a Saturday night in place of an expensive and unhealthy takeaway.

Pages

Questions (8)

Unsure about the cooking time or want to swap an ingredient? Ask us your questions and we’ll try and help you as soon as possible. Or if you want to offer a solution to another user’s question, feel free to get involved…

Be the first to ask a question about this recipe…

Tips (1)

Got your own twist on this recipe? Or do you have suggestions for possible swaps and additions? We’d love to hear your ideas.

Reader offer: £40 off delicious meals

Reader offer: £10 off + 2 free craft beers

Skills & know how

As well as helping you decide what to cook we can also help you to cook it. From tips on cookery techniques to facts and information about health and nutrition, we’ve a wealth of foodie know how for you to explore.

About BBC Good Food

We’re all about good recipes, and about quality home cooking that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re looking for some healthy inspiration or learning how to cook a decadent dessert, we’ve trustworthy guidance for all your foodie needs.

Our recipes

All our recipes are tested thoroughly by us to make sure they’re suitable for your kitchen at home. We know many of you are concerned about healthy eating, so we send them to a qualified nutritionist for thorough analysis too.

Follow us

This website is made by BBC Worldwide.

BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). No money from the licence fee was used to create this page. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes.